Wickett Craig Harness Quality?

[BESON]

I just got a side of traditional harness leather from Wickett and Craig in their buck brown color. I ordered it from an online retailer who carries it rather than directly from Wickett and Craig.

Before placing the order, I was told that the retailer stocks the "best" quality that Wickett and Craig offers. I noticed, though, a considerable number of "bug bites," for lack of a better way of putting it. The picture shows what I'm talking about and these imperfection extend throughout the side. I'm still pretty new to leather working, but I've ordered "seconds" quality leather from a Horween retailer and gotten much better quality with fewer imperfections. So, I was pretty surprised to get this. 

I definitely understand that as a natural product, such things are to be expected. But I was just wondering if others have much experience with this leather. Is this what I've should expect from their top grade? I'll defintely order direct in the future if I get another one, but I just don't know whether this is what I should expect. 

[flagshipsupply]

On 12/2/2017 at 0:17 AM, BESON said:

I just got a side of traditional harness leather from Wickett and Craig in their buck brown color. I ordered it from an online retailer who carries it rather than directly from Wickett and Craig.

Before placing the order, I was told that the retailer stocks the "best" quality that Wickett and Craig offers. I noticed, though, a considerable number of "bug bites," for lack of a better way of putting it. The picture shows what I'm talking about and these imperfection extend throughout the side. I'm still pretty new to leather working, but I've ordered "seconds" quality leather from a Horween retailer and gotten much better quality with fewer imperfections. So, I was pretty surprised to get this. 

I definitely understand that as a natural product, such things are to be expected. But I was just wondering if others have much experience with this leather. Is this what I've should expect from their top grade? I'll defintely order direct in the future if I get another one, but I just don't know whether this is what I should expect. 

@BESON I use W&C's 12-15oz buck brown harness for all my heavy custom work belts, so I end up ordering several hides a year. I order direct from the tannery though. 

W&C separates their hides into 3 categories: Special / Utility / Standard

Standard is the highest grade, carrying a guarantee of little to no bites or scars, where Special has not been screened for blemishes at all. 

The pricing difference in pricing between Standard & Special is usually $4-5 per sq. foot. So you definitely pay for the guarantee of no blemishes. I don't care about blemishes for my purposes because I'm making rugged belts. So I take the cost savings on the Specials. 

Having said all of that though, it's important to note that the leather is of the same quality & standards  in terms of it's inherent structural quality regardless. 

It is also important that you understand what harness leather is and how it is made. Harness leather is hot stuffed with wax & oils and then polished with a special proprietary machine that rolls the top grain surface and brings the waxes and oils to the surface to create the sheen that is indicative of harness leather. It is not a gentle process. But then again harness is not a leather intended for gentle use. It is rugged and hardy. If you want guaranteed uniform surface quality  Standard English Bridle hides will be nothing short of perfection.

My guess is that the online retailer you ordered from is selling Special sides to increase their margins. Their claim that it is "Top Quality" isn't necessarily wrong, its just not the best that W&C makes. 

Hope that helps!

- Matt

[BESON]

Thanks, Matt! This is super helpful information. I think my concern was just that I'd been sent a side that was a lower quality grade than advertised and paid for. Their website says that it's "standard/utility." When I asked for clarity before ordering, the retailer said that they requested and received the best from the tannery (their pricing would be consistent with what Wickett and Craig charges for their standard grade). For the particular projects I had in mind for this side, I was wanting something with fewer "blemishes/character" and  I was willing to pay a bit more for it. If it's helpful, I attached a better picture of what I called "bug bites," though maybe it's just part of the finishing process. In any event, these are spread over the entire side. I'm just left wondering whether I got a lower grade than I paid for or whether this is truly reflective of what I should expect for their "standard" grade.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Pretty stuff though despite the blemishes!  If they are in a prime area of the hide, it is absolutely unacceptable to have these blemishes if ordering and paying for the Standard grade.  I would return the leather, if possible, for a refund and in the future bypass that retailer and order direct from Wickett.  There is never a perfect hide.  I think the Standard grade and other companies' "A" grades even allow for a couple blemishes in prime areas.  But the majority of the leather (both front and back) should be useable and blemish free to make the top grade.

[Webicons]

I heard that the yield of W&C sides are on the lower side but I just received my order of Buck Brown Traditional direct from the factory yesterday and it was beautiful.  First time ordering from W&C and it was pretty painless.  From the phone call to receiving it took 12 days.

Note that when all is said and done, it is actually more expensive to order direct from W&C then through a vendor such as TheBuckleGuy when you add on splitting, paste, refinishing and shipping. 

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

5 hours ago, Webicons said:

I heard that the yield of W&C sides are on the lower side

W & C are typically nice big sides, but I've found that since it is softer leather by nature, I can't cut as low in the side for straps requiring some body, hence poorer yield.  The shoulder area of the hides can get pretty raggy also.  Having said that, I do like their leather for a lot of things, and just have to factor in the extra cost due to waste and pass it along to the consumer.

[flagshipsupply]

18 hours ago, Big Sioux Saddlery said:

W & C are typically nice big sides, but I've found that since it is softer leather by nature, I can't cut as low in the side for straps requiring some body, hence poorer yield.  The shoulder area of the hides can get pretty raggy also.  Having said that, I do like their leather for a lot of things, and just have to factor in the extra cost due to waste and pass it along to the consumer.

@Big Sioux Saddlery What do you think the reason is that their leather is softer by nature? Something having to do with tanning process? Or the quality hides they use? Etc. 

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

While I'm certainly no chemist or tanning expert, I think it is the tanning process that produces the mellow leather that W & C is known for.  I heard many years ago, when they first moved down into the states from Canada that they buy primarily dairy hides, because they tend to be bigger.  Whether that affects the finished "hand" of the leather or not, I don't know.  But I suspect that dairy hides would not only be larger than beef hides, but not quite as heavy, which holds true with Wicketts thickest leathers; they are typically lighter in weight than Hermann's thickest and especially the low quality imported hides from Mexico and South America. That's why it always irks me when people equate thickness of leather with quality. I would also think that the quality of the hide itself, before tanning would be almost better with the dairy hides than a lot of beef hides.  Beef animals fed for the meat market are typically slaughtered at under two years of age.  The animal has not anywhere near reached it's full growth potential by that age.  Dairy cows are not in production near as long as they used to be.  I think 3-4 years and most dairy cows are done.  But they are of a pretty good size by that time.  Even dairy steers are big animals by the time they reach slaughter.  Older beef animals have had time to reach their full growth potential, but they also are normally "range" animals during their production years, which means a tough life if you are a cow.  When you see hides that are full of healed barb wire scratches in the neck and shoulder area, those likely come from beef animals that have been "running out" their whole lives.  Dairy cows have are typically kept in a more controlled environment throughout their lifetime.   

So my short answer is I believe it to just be characteristic of their tanning methods.